Royal Princess Review

Think twice about booking if you have young children

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Royal Princess
User Avatar
Sailawaywith3
2-5 Cruises • Age 30s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2019
Cabin: Balcony
Traveled with children

I booked this cruise with my son ( less than a year old), my wife and my in-laws as a getaway. From the moment we arrived at the dock in LA, things just got worse for us. Upon arrival, my wife did not get the correct medallion to gain her Elite status that she had earned. Instead, she got the basic blue one as I had got (since this was my first time sailing with Princess). When it came time to board the ship instead of being asked if we wanted to take the elevator or even mentioning where the elevators were. They expected that we were going to take my son's stroller (which had a full case of water as they WILL NOT PROVIDE WATER FOR FORMULA) up the escalator and carry it the rest of the way. By the time we had moved over to the elevators and had reached the gangway. All other groups had been called and had begun their boarding of the ship, negating any elite status embarkation privilege we were supposed to have. Once we got onboard we headed over to guest services to get the lay of the land and find out the locations of the change tables to make things easier for us, as my son had already needed to be changed from waiting at the dock. The rep at the counter instructed us that "all ADA washrooms had change tables", so off I went to change him. Sadly none of them had change tables onboard the ship (only one is in the kid's club on deck 17). So irritated we went back the next day to enquire about it and were told that "they do not provide them because people may try to flush the diapers, and that it is more sanitary to change them in your room". This came as a complete shock and off as a huge sign of disrespect towards us, not because of the comment but the realization that the company clearly markets themselves as a "multi-generational welcoming company". So while I would not expect go-karts or waterslides to be on board, basic medical necessities like change tables surely should have been available (even if it were just one per level). Then comes the real kicker, during my week onboard everyone from guests to crew members felt it within their right to come up and touch my child. While he does not have any medical issues I do not permit strangers to come up and touch him as I see this as disrespectful and the number of guests that do not wash their hands frequently is appalling (norovirus does spread like wildfire on ships for a reason people). Towards the end of the cruise, I brought forward the issue of crew members touching my child without consent to the person at guest services and they just laughed at this and the idea that I had to either run back to the room to change my child fighting my way past hallways that were always cluttered with carts from the cleaning staff. Or change him on the floor of the bathroom in the ADA washrooms. The doorways into the rooms are so narrow that a basic single collapsible stroller cannot pass through adding to the daily aggravation for the family. So in closing, if there is supposed to be truth in advertising then Princess really has missed the mark on this and I will be sure to never recommend them as a cruise line to anyone with children. The only reason I am giving two out of 5 above is that the Maitre d was excellent and addressed all our concerns with our dining promplty and professionally. Along with our room stweardess Paula, her friendly bubbly attitude helped make our stay a lot better than it was.

Cabin Review

Balcony

The room size is smaller than on other Princess ships of the same age/category. However, the beds are some of the best that I had slept on in any cruise or even hotel. The room could use more attention when vacuuming as on the first day I had found some nail clippings and some feathers on the carpet by the bed.

Port Reviews

Cabo San Lucas

hagglers were overly aggressive in selling their wares and services and would not take no for an answer.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Royal Princess Cruise from $178

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.